The Mary Orton Company, LLC Pricelist
The Mary Orton Company, LLC
Mary Orton, Proprietor and Contract Administrator
Small Business, Woman-Owned Business
Contract #GS-10F-0011T
Contract Period: October 12, 2006 through October 11, 2016
Minimum Order: $100; Maximum Order: $1,000,000
19582 SW Hollygrape Street
Bend, OR 97702-2914
702.210-9642 telephone
541.647-2641 facsimile
Page 1
The Mary Orton Company, LLC Pricelist
Table of Contents
(click on a page number to move to that page)
Table of Contents......
Introduction to The Mary Orton Company, LLC......
Services Provided......
Mediation (SIN 874-1)......
Selected Clients - Mediation......
National Park Service – Hualapai Tribe Boundary Dispute......
Bureau of Reclamation – Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Work Group......
Facilitation (SIN 874-1)......
Selected Clients – Facilitation......
Southern Nevada Agency Partnership – Retreats......
Desert Research Institute – Science Workshop......
Public Participation (SIN 874-1)......
Selected Clients – Public Participation......
Grand Canyon National Park – Colorado River Management Plan......
Bureau of Land Management – Upper Las Vegas Wash Public Input Process......
Management Consulting (SIN 874-1)......
Selected Clients – Management Consulting......
National Park Management Team – Management Development......
Clark County Air Quality and Environmental Management Department – Management Team Development
Labor Categories and Rates......
Special Item Number 874-1......
Mediation......
Facilitation......
Public Participation......
Management Consulting......
Description of Labor Categories......
Common Requirements – Senior-Level Labor Categories......
Senior Mediator......
Senior Facilitator......
Senior Public Participation Practitioner......
Senior Management Consultant......
Common Requirements for Mid-Level Labor Categories......
Mediator......
Facilitator......
Public Participation Practitioner......
Common Requirements for Program Associate Labor Categories......
Program Associate Mediator......
Program Associate Facilitator......
Program Associate Public Participation Practitioner......
Summary......
Compliance With I-FSS-600(b)(3)(ii)......
Service Contract Act Statement......
Introduction to The Mary Orton Company, LLC
Since 1999, The Mary Orton Company, LLC has provided services to Government in four areas: mediation, facilitation, public participation, and organization development/strategic planning.
Mary Orton’s work is informed by group process and conflict theory, and by the experience of helping many individuals and organizations become more productive and resolve conflict in positive ways. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and a Master of Arts degree in Conflict Resolution, in addition to a graduate certificate in the Constructive Engagement of Environmental Conflict.
Mary understands the details of the science, the interests of the stakeholders, and the policy framework that guides decisions and recommendations to the Secretary.She is a skilled facilitator and has ensured that issues of concern are addressed openly and completely and not swept under the rug.I have appreciated very much the knowledge and experience Mary brought to the job, and her manner of keeping discussions on track and on time while providing sufficient attention to detail.
- Anne Castle, Assistant Secretary of the Interior, Water and Science (former)
Services Provided
Whether the process is called
Mediation (see page 4),
Facilitation (see page 6),
Public Participation (see page 7), or
Organization Development (see page 8),
each of these approaches to collaborative problem solving can help groups develop consensus, accomplish their work, and meet their goals in the most positive and productive way possible.
Mary Orton can help your group to:
- Define the issue, problem, or conflict,
- Clarify values and interests,
- Develop a common understanding of goals,
- Establish timelines, deadlines, and criteria for progress,
- Enumerate the range of possible options,
- Identify costs and benefits,
- Recognize compatible options and potential tradeoffs,
- Make effective decisions, and
- Formalize areas of agreement.
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Mediation (SIN 874-1)
Mediation is a process in which a neutral person, the mediator, helps parties to resolve a dispute. Mediators have no power to impose a decision on the parties and have no stake or interest in the outcome.
Mary Orton often works with parties who are mistrustful of each other and opposed in viewpoint and values. She has extensive skill and experience in replacing an adversarial climate with a group attitude of creative problem solving. She helps group members:
- Put effort into getting all parties what they need, instead of defeating their opponents.
- Focus on the substance of the issues instead of personalities.
- Remain open-minded and flexible instead of retreating into hardened positions.
- Promote mutual understanding and good communication.
Mary is a member of:
- The National Roster of Environmental Dispute Resolution and Consensus Building Professionals, managed by the U.S. Institute for Environmental Conflict Resolution (a federal agency).
- The roster of senior public policy mediators managed by Oregon Consensus, a state agency.
“I would especially like to compliment you on your sensitive and skillful handling of these discussions. Too often, we forget the small and large positive steps which can be accomplished towards our common goals, and we get tangled in the ‘cannot’ rather than the ‘can.’ Your skillful handling of all sides of this story continues to enable us to persevere and to make progress.”
– Bill Dickinson, Superintendent, Lake Mead National Recreation Area,
regarding Mary’s work on the boundary dispute between NPS and the Hualapai Tribe
Selected Clients - Mediation
For more information about these and other clients, please visit
National Park Service – Hualapai Tribe Boundary Dispute
The National Park Service and the Hualapai Tribe disputed where their boundary lies. Rather than litigate, they agreed to search for ways to cooperatively manage the disputed area. They contracted with The Mary Orton Company, LLC to mediate this process.
The three parties to the dispute were the Hualapai Tribe, Grand Canyon National Park, and Lake Mead National Recreation Area. The negotiating team included the Chairwoman and Vice-Chairwoman of the Tribe, and the Superintendents and Deputy Superintendents of the two Park Service entities. Outcomes included an Agreement of Purpose, and a Memorandum of Understanding that established a framework agreement for cooperation, and several specific agreements regarding cooperative management of the Colorado River corridor.
Bureau of Reclamation – Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Work Group
The Mary Orton Company provides mediation and facilitation for a 24-member committee, organized under the Federal Advisory Committee Act, that advises the Secretary of the Interior how to improve the ecosystem of the Grand Canyon, through the operation of Glen Canyon Dam and other management actions. The Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Work Group is chaired by the Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Water and Science and administered by the Bureau of Reclamation. Outcomes include a strategic plan and numerous consensus recommendations to the Secretary of the Interior on experimental flows, other experimental actions, and monitoring efforts to assist in recovery of endangered species and to protect resources in the Grand Canyon. For more information, please see
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Facilitation (SIN 874-1)
A facilitator develops and guides the process a group uses to work together.
In addition to graduate work in group dynamics, facilitation, and group decision-making, Mary has considerable experience in facilitating groups to help them:
- Decide where to start, how to proceed, and what to do next.
- Experience high productivity and momentum due to organization and positive group dynamics.
- Ensure everyone participates and no one person dominates the discussion.
- Generate many ideas for thorough discussion by the group.
- Keep a group memory.
- Make difficult and complex decisions.
“Mary is a highly skilled facilitator. She is very well organized, insightful, and responsive to group needs. I rate her among the best and most professional facilitators I have worked with.”
-- from an anonymous performance assessment by participants
Selected Clients – Facilitation
For more information about these and other clients, please see
Southern Nevada Agency Partnership – Retreats
Mary designed and facilitated a series of retreats with leaders of the four federal land management agencies in Southern Nevada: Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and USDA Forest Service. The result was a series of process and structure improvements for the partnership.
Desert Research Institute – Science Workshop
The purpose of this two-day workshop was to gather national experts to determine high-priority research areas for four land-management agencies that manage seven million acres of public land in the Las Vegas area: Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and USDA Forest Service. Mary Orton designed and managed the workshop. The first day was comprised of 10 separate Breakout Groups, each led by a subject-matter expert and attended by invited scientists and agency staff. On the second day, the Breakout Group Leaders reported to the full group their top three recommended research topics for their area. Then, the group of more than 100 attendees organized the 30 research items into order of priority. In order to accomplish this task, The Mary Orton Company employed an innovative and interactive decision support technology.Each participant was provided with a remote FM radio input terminal (see image at right) with which to respond to questions that were projected onto a large screen. The technology provided the ability to collect and document real-time opinions and graphically present them to the group in an anonymous manner for the participants to explore. Data were isolated and compared across demographic groups in order to view and understand various perspectives, and results were enhanced through a rich discussion by the participants.
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Public Participation (SIN 874-1)
Federal agencies are often required by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) to involve the public in their decision-making. Public participation is the way agencies can improve their decision-making by meaningfully involving people who are affected by those decisions.
By applying conflict resolution techniques and public participation techniques, Mary Orton can help government agencies to:
- Engage their stakeholders in a cooperative, constructive, and collegial process.
- Educate stakeholders about the complexities facing the agency.
- Obtain useful public input from a broad spectrum of stakeholders and members of the public.
- Incorporate public values into their decisions, along with feasibility and performance criteria.
- Design robust and durable solutions.
- Improve relationships between stakeholders and the agency, and among stakeholders.
Selected Clients – Public Participation
For more information about these and other clients, please see
Grand Canyon National Park – Colorado River Management Plan
Grand Canyon National Park was faced with a NEPA process in a highly contentious environment. By blending alternative dispute resolution techniques with traditional and sophisticated public participation methods, and addressing Federal Advisory Committee Act requirements, The Mary Orton Company was able to achieve the Park’s NEPA goals while reducing contentiousness and increasing trust. The three-year process included seven scoping meetings and seven DEIS meetings (both coast to coast), two stakeholder workshops, and an expert panel.
Bureau of Land Management – Upper Las Vegas Wash Public Input Process
In an EIS, the Las Vegas Field Office of the Bureau of Land Management analyzed land that was designated by Congress as suitable for sale to the public, and that included Pleistocene-era fossils and two sensitive plant species. The BLM retained The Mary Orton Company to develop a process whereinstakeholders could provide input to the BLM on how it should protect this land. Thirteen discrete stakeholder groups were identified. Representatives of these groups participated in a highly organized process over eighteen months that developed recommendations on vision, boundaries of the protected area, infrastructure crossing areas, and management options.
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Management Consulting (SIN 874-1)
Management consulting comprises Organization Development, Strategic Planning, and Coaching services. Organization Development is a way to address and facilitate change in organizations in such a way that the change is as beneficial as possible to all involved. Strategic Planning helps an agency focus on its most desirable future, and then align its actions so that future can be realized. Coaching of individuals and groups provides support for change through learning and action.
Selected Clients – Management Consulting
For more information about these and other clients, please see
National Park Management Team – Management Development
The Mary Orton Company was contracted to provide organization and team development work with the Senior Management Team a National Park. Over the course of 12 months, the work included a team assessment, agreement on an inspiring future for the team, learning about productive teams and pathways to synergy, improvements of internal team processes (facilitation, decision-making, conflict resolution), and enhancements in budget development and long-term planning processes.
Clark County Air Quality and Environmental Management Department – Management Team Development
Mary Orton was asked to provide organization and team development work with the senior managers of the Clark County Air Quality and Environmental Management Department. The group consists of the Director and two Deputy Directors of the department, and the seven division directors who answer to the deputies. The group met with Mary Orton for a full day approximately bi-monthly for several years. The sessions included a team effectiveness assessment, revision of mission and vision, change management counseling, assessment of the group’s decision-making processes, and training in consensus decision-making.
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Labor Categories and Rates
Special Item Number 874-1
Mediation
See page 4 for a description of Mediation services.
Senior Mediator$156.00 per hour
Mediator$97.50 per hour
Program Associate: Mediator$48.75 per hour
Facilitation
See page 6 for a description of Facilitation services.
Senior Facilitator$156.00 per hour
Facilitator$97.50 per hour
Program Associate: Facilitator$48.75 per hour
Public Participation
See page 8 for a description of the Public Participation services.
Senior Public Participation Practitioner$156.00 per hour
Public Participation Practitioner$97.50 per hour
Program Associate: Public Participation Practitioner$48.75 per hour
Management Consulting
See page 8 for a description of the Management Consultant services.
Senior Management Consultant$156.00 per hour
Daily and flat rates can be negotiated when appropriate.
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I thought you did a fantastic job at the meetings this week. You really helped me without overstepping; just a really good balance between your role [as facilitator/mediator] and mine [as chair]. The way you engaged the participants was fantastic – your facilitation allowed the group to have a productive and cordial discussion. Both meetings would have been much less productive without you there, and much less friendly and easy. Your smile really brightens the room, too.
- Shane Capron, Western Area Power Administration, Department of Energy
Description of Labor Categories
Common Requirements – Senior-Level Labor Categories
This section describes common requirements for the Senior-level labor categories, specifically Senior Mediator, Senior Facilitator, Senior Public Participation Practitioner,and Senior Management Consultant
In all four Senior-level categories listed, the professional also serves as Project Director and Project Manager, with overall management authority of contracts and signatory authority on work orders. The senior professional also oversees operations on work orders and provides quality control functions. The senior professional serves as an advisor to and manager of less experienced consultants in the company. The professional serving in these labor categories must be able to understand and communicate well with people of all types of backgrounds and cultures, and to help people of different backgrounds and cultures to understand and work well with each other. Strong interpersonal and writing skills are required, in order to establish relationships of trust with participants and to produce reports as required. A minimum of ten years’ experience is required, with a graduate degree in conflict resolution, organizational development, or other related field strongly preferred.
Ethics and integrity are important to us at The Mary Orton Company. All Senior Practitioners understand and abide by their respective Codes of Ethics (links below).
Senior Mediator
The Senior Mediator is highly skilled in conflict resolution theory, and has substantial experience helping individuals and groups identify their needs and interests and work towards them in productive ways. For addressing group conflicts, the Senior Mediator must also have skills in guiding the work of multiple people (facilitation). The Senior Mediator has considerable experience in assessing a conflict, identifying potential areas of agreement, identifying all the parties that should be involved in the discussion, recruiting a convener as appropriate, training parties in how to negotiate, and helping parties reach consensus or resolution. The Senior Mediator knows how to recognize and resolve impasse, can suggest multiple ways for the parties to make difficult decisions, and helps the parties improve their relationships during the mediation. Particularly for large groups, Senior Mediators must also be able to provide meeting management services, including meeting set-up, keeping a group memory of discussions and decisions, and producing reports (including minutes).
Senior Mediators understand and are guided by the Model Standards of Conduct for Mediators, currently used by the Association for Conflict Resolution.